Segments in this Video

Denton "Mogie" Crocker Jr.(02:02)

FREE PREVIEW

"Mogie" was assigned to the 101st Airborne but found his duties at battalion headquarters boring; his mother Jean-Marie Crocker recalls tracking his movements.

Escalating the War(04:17)

Hear President Johnson talking to Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara about Vietnam; the administration struggled to support the government in Saigon. By 1966, 2,344 Americans had died and 184,300 troops were in Vietnam, with more on the way. Many lessons from WWII were not applicable to Vietnam.

Public Challenge of War Efforts(06:27)

J. William Fullbright held hearings on Vietnam, with the press in attendance; George Kennan testified. Johnson attended a military conference with Saigon government officials; Prime Minister Nguyen Cao Ky was a controversial figure.

War of Attrition(03:06)

The 37 day pause of bombing did not result in North Vietnam's willingness to negotiate; the Viet Cong controlled three fourths of South Vietnam. Gen. Westmoreland focused on North Vietnamese Regulars and the crossover point. The military was at the center of Matt Harrison's life.

Ho Chi Minh Trail(05:28)

The North Vietnamese built a network through neutral countries to move supplies south. MACV targeted the routes for destruction. Over 200,000 teenagers, including Le Minh Khue worked to keep the roads open.

Quang Duc Province(05:05)

Carol Crocker avoided watching the news. Mogie forced reassignment to a combat unit which engaged the enemy on May 11, 1966; he earned the Army Commendation Medal. Jean-Marie wondered how she would know if Mogie was wounded.

Draftees and Protestors(05:52)

Philip Caputo did not like war protestors. Over half of the men who came of age during the Vietnam War avoided military service; the military was skewed toward minorities and the underprivileged. In 1966, college students could not expect deferment; Bill Zimmerman and others protested college rankings.

RAND Report(03:38)

Le Quan Cong recalls the death of his brothers and sister. Duong Van Mai Elliott believed Communists destroyed family and religion; she interviewed prisoners.

Outreach and Pacification(03:22)

The image of American soldiers terrorizing the South Vietnamese is inaccurate; the military and aid organizations worked in villages. MACV developed the Hamlet Evaluation System.

"Contact"(07:58)

Mike Heaney's unit believed in tradition, honor, and humane treatment. Most fighting in Vietnam was small scale and close up. Heaney recalls an ambush at An Khe. Le Cong Huan recalls watching Americans die.

Despair on the Battlefield(02:49)

Volunteers for Vietnam(03:59)

Matt Harrison believed in the mission in Vietnam and underwent ranger training. Mogie turned 19 during a campaign to intercept North Vietnamese troops; he was killed.

Death of a Soldier(03:39)

Mogie's family recalls learning of his death. An Army captain escorted Mogie's body home. The family had Mogie buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Operation Rolling Thunder(04:48)

President Johnson addresses the nation from Omaha, Nebraska. The Johnson Administration questioned Gen. Westmoreland's crossover point and Johnson agreed to intensify the bombing campaign; civilians were caught in the attacks.

Prisoners of War(04:21)

Everett Alvarez recalls being imprisoned. He and other prisoners were isolated, tortured, forced to record statements and paraded through Hanoi.

Military Effectiveness(06:38)

North Vietnam maintained a steady supply of oil despite Operation Rolling Thunder and citizens rebuilt what was destroyed by bombs. Harrison Salisbury's report increased public doubt about the morality of the war. Hear Robert McNamara's speech on military progress.

Marine Servicemen(03:37)

Marines were the first combat troops to fight in Vietnam and they were expected to stay 13 months. Ehrhart, Musgrave, and Harris arrived in 1967; Ehrhart recalls the arrival of civilian detainees at Hoi An.

Antiwar Movement(05:13)

Dr. Benjamin Spock and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. opposed the war; they joined protestors in a demonstration at Central Park. Members of the Johnson Administration believed the movement was a Communist conspiracy.

U.S. Confidence Wanes(05:29)

Gen. Westmoreland addressed Congress two weeks after the Manhattan protest. He asked President Johnson for more troops and bombing, but Robert McNamara began doubting actions in Vietnam; he asked for top secret analysis of key decisions.

Battle of Dak To(10:35)

Harrison joined the 173rd Airborne and reunited with West Point classmates at Bien Hoa. The men were helicoptered to Hill 1338 and engaged the enemy days later. Carol recalls realizing others would have opinions about her brother's death.

Resolve (January 1966-June 1967)

Description

North Vietnamese troops and materiel stream down the Ho Chi Minh Trail into the South. As an antiwar movement builds back home, soldiers and Marines discover that the war they are fighting in Vietnam is nothing like their fathers’ war.